1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a rack for accommodating flat articles, and more particularly to an adjustable rack for holding gel plates of varying size and thickness used in DNA analysis.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gel plates of varying size and thickness are used in electrophoresis equipment. This equipment is designed to promote molecular separation or sequencing of various proteins found in DNA. During separation or sequencing, the proteins are introduced into a suspension located between gel-coated glass plates. When an electrical current is applied to electrodes in contact with the gel, the proteins separate from the suspension and migrate to the glass plates. This separation or sequencing is then captured on film to maintain a record. The equipment is then broken down and cleaned for reuse. During cleaning, the glass plates must be transported to a cleaning station where the gel is removed, typically with ethanol-based cleaning solutions. Each laboratory has different production requirements and thus different quantities of gel plates that need to be stored, cleaned, transported, and so on. Current racks in use are constructed of sheet plastic that are of inverted V-shaped configuration. However, these racks are not adaptable to the various needs of laboratories or other environments.
Thus, there remains a continuous need for racks that can be custom configured at each laboratory in a relatively simple, quick and efficient manner without special skills or special hand tools to thereby accommodate different plate size requirements and different holding capacities. Moreover, it would be desirable to provide racks that are easily distinguishable from each other in order to differentiate between glass plates that are dirty, pretreated, and untreated, and whether the plates are installed in the front or back of the electrophoresis equipment, and so on.